Thrashing machine



(No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 1.

J. N. WILSON. THRASHING MACHINE.

No. 507,771. Patented Oct. 31, 1893.

THRASHING MACHINE.

Patented Dot. 31, 1893.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. N. WILSON.- THRA-SHING MACHINE.

. No. 507,771. Patented 0ct. 31, 1893.

w hw'e s" v 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

(No Model.)

J. N WILSON. THRASHING MACHINE.

No. 507,771. Patented o t; 3 1., 18 923.

UNHTED STATES.

PATENT @rrrcn.

JAMES N. WILSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PIONEER THRESHER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

THRASHlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 507,771, dated October 31, 1893.

Application filed April 27, 1893. Serial No. 472,006. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES N. WILsON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of ll/Iinnesota,haveinvented certain new and usefullmprovements in Thrashing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to thrashing machines. The invention was especially designed for use on thrashing machines equipped with automatic band cutting and feeding mechanism; but certain parts of the invention are also applicable or capable of use on hand fed machines.

The principal features of invention are directed to the control orregulation of the supply of the stock to the thrashing mechanism, by positive controlling or regulating devices, located in advance of and operated by the thrashing mechanism itself.

In order to secure rapid and efficient work, it is necessary that the thrashing mechanism should never become clogged or choked down. To meet the demands of the business, the same machine must be capable of thrashing many kinds of grain, seeds, and other stock; and each kind of stock will differ widely at different times and places, in condition, both as to the presence or absence of foreign materials, the presence or absence of moisture, relative dryness, toughness, 850. At the same time, the machine must have large capacity, to receive consideration in the great wheat fields of the Northwest. To provide a machine which will meet all the above noted requirements, has been found a difficult task. The problem has been solved in part, by the interposition of a governor, through which the feed mechanism is driven from the thrashing mechanism, by which arrangement the feed mechanism will be stopped, whenever the thrashing mechanism slows down to a certain point, and will be started into action again, whenever the thrashing mechanism regains its full working speed. This plan has proven in practice to be only a partial solution, for the reason that the stoppage of the feed cannot, thereby, be made sufficiently quick. The margin of storage in such a governor, must be sufficient to drive the feed mechanism; hence, the thrashing cylinder, or other form of thrashing mechanism, must slowdown to a corresponding extent before the governor will let go of the feed mechanism. This margin of continued movement to the thrashing mechanism, will permit enough more stock to be drawn in, ofttimes, to completely choke down the machine. Iovercomethisdifliculty and complete the solution, by providing a positive cut-off, located in advance of and operated by the thrashing mechanism itself, which becomes instantly effective, to intercept the stock, whenever the thrashing mechanism loses its proper working speed; and my device is preferably constructed in the form of a pairof combs, one overhanging and the other underlying the path of the stock and movable across the same and out of the same, under either the direct or indirect control of the thrashing mechanism.

As another feature of invention, 1 drive the feed mechanism by a belt, which is subject to the action of a belt controller operated either directly or indirectly by the thrashing mechanism, to render the said belt operative or inoperative on the feed mechanism, according to whether thethrashing mechanism has or has not the proper working velocity.

From the foregoing, it Will be seen that both the cut off device and the belt controller are operated directly or indirectly from the thrashing mechanism itself. In my preferred arrangement, I operate the said parts indirectly through a governor, which is driven directly from the thrashing mechanism.

Other details of invention will appear from the following description, and will be defined in the claims.

A machine embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, like letters referring to like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a right side elevation of the front part of the thrashing machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal section through thesame. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section on the line X X of Fig. 1, looking to- Ward the rear; and Fig. 4 is a vertical central longitudinal section through the thrashing mechanism, illustrating a modified construction, for controlling the cut off device from the thrashing mechanism. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section illustrating my preferred form of feeding mechanism.

a is the main frame of the thrashing machine, and a is a band cutter and feeder frame, extended forward from the mouth of the thrashing machine and supported by the braces a and the main frame a.

b I) represent the thrashing mechanism proper, which may be either of the cylinder 1 and concave type, as shown, or of any other suitable kind,so far as the application of my invention, in a broad point of view, may be concerned.

0 represents a separating carrier, in diagram, to the rear of the thrashing mechanism, and c the grain belt or apron, all of the wellknown standard construction.

Z) isthe cylinder cap or deck, and c the main or separator deck.

(I is a rotary band cutter journaled in the frame a, of any suitable kind, preferably with feathering shafts cl, for carrying the knives (Z The means for feathering the same may be of any suitable kind.

(1 represents a feed cylinder located to the rear of the band-cutter d, and shown as provided with teeth (Z (1 is a deck over the band cutting and feeding mechanism, and provided with a rearward extension cl, for covering certain parts which will later appear.

(1 cl is a divided head-board, fromthe deck (2 to the hood b the uppersection (Z of which, is held normally against a stop d by aspring d This construction permits the springheld upper section (1 to yield, ifnecessary.

f isa feed-board pivoted to the concave Z) and upheld by a buttonf,andmay be dropped at will, to give access to the cylinder and concave.

f isan angular deck, arranged vertex upward between the side-boards of the feederframe a, with its inner or delivery end, directly over the feed-boardf, and its outer or receiving end a short distance back of the end of the frame a.

f is an endless feed carrier, of the chain and toothed slat variety, which traverses the deck f and is driven by sprocket wheel shafts f and f located at its inner and outer ends respectively. It is also guided by a similar sprocket-wheel shaft f, located at the angle of the deck f and is subject to the action of a yielding tightening device f shown as in the form of a sprocket wheel shaft, the wheels of which are of the cup variety, for engaging with the slats of the under fold of the carrier. The tightenerf is journaled in sliding boxesf seated in the side-boards of the frame a, and upheld by springsf The outer carrier shaft f has a gear f ",on its right end, as shown, engaging through an intermediate gear f, with a gear h, on the upper end carrier-shaft h, of a bundle carrier 7L2, shown as of the slat and belt variety, traversing the lower or outer end carrier shaft h and a deck 7%, of a divided or sectional carrier frame 72,5 ha, which parts taken together constitute the bundle'table. The outer section h is hinged, as shown at 72. to theinner section h, and is normally upheld at its outer end by pivoted legs h The sections 71 and h are rendered rigid with each other, at the hinge point 7L7, by a snap hook it carried by the section 7L6, engaging a lock-bar h" on the section h The section 7&6 is adapted to fold inward over the top of the section lbs, and be held by a snap-hook h, on the section 7L5, engaging with a projection h on the section h. The upper section It is pivoted to the band-cutter and feederframe a, at apoint forward of its delivery end, as shown at h, and is adapted to fold under the band-cutter and feeder frame into the dotted line position, as shown in Fig. 1, where it Will be held by a snap-hook 7L, engaging a suitable lug it. Under the pivotal movement of the section 715, the upper and carrier-shaft gear it, will be thrown into oroutof engagement, with the intermediate gear f and the gear f of the outer endfeed-carrier shaft f.

The above described feed mechanism has certain points of advantage, which will be noted when stating the general operation of the machine.

Turning now to the more important features of the invention and referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, especially, 7c are the pair of cooperating parts, preferablyof comb-like form, as shown, constitutingtogether my automatic cut-off or feed throat opening and closing device. Of the said parts, the upper member 7a is loosely seated for vertical movement in guides k formed in the sides of the main frame a; and the lower part 70 is pivoted in the Sideboards of the main frame a, andnormally underlies the path of the stock at the junction of the feed-board f with the concave b. This comb 70' may be constructed in any suitable way, butis preferably made up of a series of fingers separated by collars and all mounted on a rectangular shaft, the ends of which project through the frame, and are provided with crank-arms 70 connected by rods or links M to the upper member or comb 70, by means of projecting brackets 7C5, theprojecting portions of which extend outward through slots it in the side-boards of the main frame a. The upper member is is carried on the forward end of a pivoted leverk having a slot and pin engagement, as shown at k", with a bracket 7t, rising from the center of the comb la. The lever [15 is pivoted intermediate its extremities to a fixed bracket 7e forming a part of the governor-support 7c, and is connected at its inner end by a slot and pin connection g, with the governor stein g of an ordiuar ball governor G. The governor G is driven from the thrashing cylinder 1) by a belt 9 passing over a pulley W, on

the left end of the cylindershaft, and over the governor pulley 9 The bracket 70 and the pivoted lever 10 are provided with a series of holes 70 for the pivot pin 10 in order to afford a variable fulcrum to said lever, for giving to the co-operating cut d combs k 70' any desired quickness or speed of action.

One of the projecting brackets M has pivotally attached thereto one end of an outside lever n, pivoted to the right side board of the main frame a, as shown at n, and having its rear end connected by a link n with the rear end of a belt controlling lever n pivoted to the main frame, at, below the cylinder, and carrying on its front end a roller n applicable to the feed carrier driving belt n This belt n passes over a pulley N, on the right end of the cylinder shaft, and a pulley n on a cross shaft 127, and provided on its inner hub with a pinion n engaging a gear 01, on the right end of the inner feed carrier shaft J. The feed driving belt n is also subject to the action of an adjustable belt tightener n This tightener n serves to set the belt n with the proper amount of slack, for permitting the belt controller n to have its proper action as operated by the governor, for rendering the belt n operative or inoperative, according to whether the thrashing cylinder 1) has or has not the proper working velocity.

The diiferent parts have now been .specilied, and the operation of the same may be briefly described as followsz-The stock will be supplied by the bundle carrier k and delivered to the band-cutter d, and the feed carrier f under the co-operation of which parts, the bands will be out, if the stock is in the bundle form, and be carried forward and in co-operation with the feed cylinder d will be delivered to the thrashing mechanism with a free sliding feed. In respect to the action of the feeding mechanism, it is only necessary to note that the angular form of the deck f and the co-operating feed carrier f will give to the stock the properelevation, for delivering the same to the feed cylinder, at a point high up on its receiving side, and as near as practicable on a tangentthereto. As

is well known, this is the most desirable delivery to the feed cylinder; and the angular deck f 2 may be extended upward even higher, than shown in the drawings, for still bettering the action in this respect. Both the bundle carrier deck k and the feed carrier deck f are continuous or solid, and the chains of the feed-carrier f work in longitudinal slots, (not shown) on the face of the deck f so as to bring the slats of the carrier flush with the face of the deck and insure the carrying forward thereby of all the shattered grain. In case a big bunch of stock should check the motion of the feed-carrier F, the tighrenerf will yield and thereby prevent any breakage. As long as thethrashing cylinder b is running up to its full working velocity,or beyond the same, the upper comb is, will be held by the rier.

governor in its raised position, and the lower comb k in its lowest position,- so that the feed throat to the cylinder will be wide open. If,

by the entrance of a matted or tough bunch of stock, the cylinder b should slow down below the proper working velocity, the governor will immediately throw down the upperoomb lo and. throw up the lower comb it across the,

path of the stock, thereby intercepting the stock and closing the feed throat, with a practically instantaneous action. It will not be possible, therefore, for the cylinder to pull in any additional stock, even if there were a a considerable quantity on the delivery section of the feed carrier f The cylinder will therefore quickly recover working velocity, at

which time the governor will again throw the combs k is into their normal 01' throat opening position. crumk for the lever 10, which communicates the motion from the governor stem 9' to the combs k is, is so located astogive to the combs a relatively large movement for any given .movement of the governor stem. This leverage may be made such, and the governor may be run at such a speed, with reference to the .feed carriers and their connections will, un-

der the action of the momentum of their parts be given a slight continued feeding movement. As is obvious, however, the feed of the stock to the thrashing cylinder was positively intercepted by the closing of the throat opening and closing device. When the governor again throws the combs into their open position, which will occur as soon as the cylinder regains its proper working velocity, as before stated, the belt tightener n will be thrown into its tightening position, so as to again render the feed driving belt 76 operative on the feed-carrier f Upon thejthrashing cylinder again acquiring its proper working velocity, the throat opening and closing devices'will open, in advance of the starting of the feed-carrier f in consequence of the inertia of said feed-carrier f and its connected parts, which must of course, be overcome in starting the same.

From the foregoing it is obvious, that the thrashing mechanism proper can never choke down. The thrashing machine proper may, therefore, be kept in continuous action, greatly increasing its capacity and effecting a large economy, both in the gain in the quantity of the work done and in the prevention of breakage; and also in the prevention of waste by the'passing of unthrashed stock,

It will be noted that the fulwhich necessarily occurs when the cylinder becomes choked down or slugg'ed.

If, at any time, there should be an undue accumulation of stock between the delivery and of the feed-carrier f and the head-board d and d the same will be thrown back out toward the front of the machine by the feed cylinder d and the band-cutter cl. Likewise, if there should be an undue accumulation between the band cutting cylinder at and the feed-cylinder :1 the excess will be carried over the band cutting cylinder and be thrown forward onto the bundle carrier k Referring now to the modification shown in Fig. 4, I dispense-with a governor and rely on a part of the thrashingme'chanism itself, to directly control thecnt-ofi and the feed driving belt controller. The combsp and p are identical with the forms shown in the main views; but instead of being connected to'a governor together, the upper comb p is connected by a bell-crank lever to the rear end of a spring held sliding concave hanger p and the lower comb p has its crank arm 93 connected by a link p directly to the front end of the said sliding concave p The concave 1J3 isgnided at its rear end by a fixed cross rod 9 assin throu ha slot )7 in the concave hanger. The concave hanger and concave are normally held in their forward or working position, by strong springs 29 shown as encircling the-guide-rodsp, carried by brackets 19 on theconcave hang r, and working through a fixed stop-harp. The tension'of the springsp may be adjusted by jamnutsp? The concave hanger is supported at its forward end by hanger links 13 pivoted to the side boards of the main frame a. The concave hanger 19 has rigidlysecnred to its forward end a belt tightener p, which in the normal position of the concave hanger, bears against the feed driving belt 07. and renders the same operative. The action is as follOwsz-The tension from the springs p is suffici'ent to hold the concave hanger inits forward or normal position, for the normal and proper working of the thrashing mechanism, or at all times, except when slugged or overloaded with stock. If a matted or tough bunch of stock should gain entrance to the thrashing mechanism, of a character which would otherwise choke down or slug the machine, the concave hanger 19 will yield against the springs 13 sufficient to relieve the excessive strain on the parts and release the stock. In this action, the front end of the concave hanger will move downward and backward, in the arc of any desired circle, depending upon the radius link 19 in point of location or length; while the rear end of the said concave hanger 19 will be constrained by the rod 13 and the slot 19 to a straight line action, thereby preventing the concave from following upthe cylinder, and giving an enlarged and free delivery from the cylinder. At the same time that the concave hanger 133 moves backward, the combs p and p will be thrown into their closed position, by the bellcrank lever 19*, the link 19 and the crank-arm 19*, thereby intercepting the stock and closing the feed-throat. After the release has taken place, the spring 19 will throw the concave hanger 19 back, into its normal position, and, through the connections just described, will again open the feed-throat. The rearward movement of the concave hanger, will also retract the belt-tightener p from the feed driving belt a, rendering the said belt inoperative and stopping the feed-carrier f and on the return of the concave hanger, the said belt-tightener p will again render the said belt 77. operative.

The driving connections for the band cutting cylinder at and the feed-cylinder d, have not been shown and the said band-cutter and feed-cylinder have only been indicated in diagram, as they may be of any suitable kind, and the driving connections be applied in any suitable way.

It should perhaps benoted, that the upper section 72. of the bundle table is limited in its outfolding position toward the working faceof the feed-carrier f by stop-blocks h, on the band cutter and feeder flfLllJBCt'. This is for the purpose" of properly spacing the gears, h,f andf when the bundle-tableis in its working position.

The feed-board f has on its face a flexible gnardf for preventing the feed-carrierf from drawing back the shattered grainor any of the stock beyond the feed-board.

For the clearing action of the bandcutting cylinder 01, the feathering knivesd are shown as provided with rearward projections (1 which serve as clearing teeth.

Referring to Fig. 5, wherein I show my preferred form of feed mechanism, I dispense with therotary feed cylinder, shown in' Figs. 1 and 2, and substitute an endless carrier 7', of the chain and toothed slat variety, which is mounted on sprocket wheel shafts 7" 1' journaled in a double deck carrier framer The carrier frame and carrier, are free to swing on the upper shaft 0*, as a pivot; and the journals of the lower shaft 7'' project through slots Win the feederframe side-boards 0.. This construction permits the said carrier andcarrier frame M to float on the stock at its lower or inner end, with freedom for a limited rising and falling motion determined by the length of the slots r Motion is imparted to the carrier 1', to move the same in the direction shown by the arrows, ataslightly greater speed than the lower feed carrierf This motion is imparted in any suitable way,

as by a chain 0' running over a sprocket r on the shaft 1"", and a sprocket r on the cross shaft 12 these sprocket wheels and chain above referred to, being shown in dotted lines only.

With the construction shown in Fig. 5, a fixed head-board r is employed. A shield or face-plate 7" projects downward from the inner or lower end of this head-board 7", directly in front of the upper member is of the cut-0E combs.

It should ,be noted that the carrier r and Us frame 4' extends upward beyond the angle of the lower deck f 2 and its carrier f and that the band cutting cylinder 01, overhangs the outer inclined face of the deck f and the carr1erf In virtue of this location of the parts, the band cutter works to an advantage on the bundles, and the forward ends of the cut bundles will be caught and whipped in by the upper carrier 0", and be, thence, carrled forward by the co-operating surfaces of the two carriers. As the upper carrier runs faster than the lower carrier f the stock will be fed from the top with a sliding feed. Any number of desired divisions of the cut bundles can be made, according to the relative speeds of the carriers 2" and f Both sections of the double'deck r are continuous, and the chains of the carrier run in grooves (notshown) thereon, so that the slats run flush with the deck surfaces. The band cutting cylinder d,'in respect to its clearing action, on the stock, which may accumulate between the" upper feed carrier and the said cylinder, will operate insubstantially the same way, as when co-operating with the feed cylinder (1 the teeth d serving to throw forward onto the bundle carrier k any excess of stock which may be carried in by the band cutting cylinder.

If, when the cut off to the thrashing cylinder occurs, or at any other time the stock should accumulate at the inner or lower ends of the feed carriers, the upper carrier r will carry the same back above the deck r and deliver the same to the teeth (1 of the band cutting cylinder d, which'will throw the same to the front onto the bundle carrier 71 This function is of considerable importance, in its relation to the cut-off mechanism hereinbefore shown and described, as used in this machine.

What I claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with the thrashing mechanism, of an automatic positive cut off device in advance of and controlled by the thrashing mechanism for positively interceptlng the stockwhenever the thrashing mechanism loses proper working speed, substantially' as described. 7 a 2. The combination with the thrashing mechanism, of a feed throat opening and closing device in advance of and controlled by the thrashing mechanism,operating to positivelyopen and close said feed throat according to whether the thrashing mechanismhas or has not proper working velocity.

or. The combination with thrashing mechanism, comprising the cylinder and concave, of the feed throat opening and closing device, conslsting of a pair of cooperating parts mounted for movement, one from above and the other from below, across the path of the stock, and intermediate connections to said throat opening and closing device operated by said thrashing mechanism, whereby under an excessive feed of stock between said cylinder and concave, sufii'cient to reduce the speed of said cylinder below proper working velocity, said throat opening and closing device will close and positively intercept the stock and will be again opened, automatically when the working velocity of said cylinder has been restored, substantially as described.

' 4. The combination with thrashing mechanism, of a governor driven therefrom and a positive cut ofi device, in advance of the said thrashing mechanism, with intermediate connections from said governor, for positively-intercepting the stock whenever the thrashing mechanism loses proper velocity, substantially as described.

, 5. The combination with thrashing "mechanism, of a governor driven therefrom an'd'a feed throat opening and closing device, in advance of said thrashing mechanism, having connections with said governor, for positively cutting as or permitting the supply of stock, according to whether the thrashing mechanism has or has not proper working velocity.

' 6. The combination withthrashing mechanism, of a governor driven therefrom'and a feed throat opening and closing device consisting of a pair of co-operating parts mounted formovement, one from above and theother from below, across the path of the stock, in advance of the thrashing mechanism, and intermediate connections from said throat opening and closing device to said governor,'substantially as, and for thepurpos'e set forth.

7. The combination with thrashing mechanism, of a governor driven therefrom and a feed throat opening and closing device consisting of a pair of co-operating comb like parts mounted for movement, one from belo'w'and the other from above, across the pathof the stock, in advance of the thrashing mechanism, and intermediate connections from said throat opening and closing device to said governor, substantially as, and for the purpose set forth.

v 8. The combination, with the thrashing cylinder and concave, of an automatic" feed mechanism for the same, a governor driven from said cylinder and a pair of movable combs one overhangingand the other underlying the path of the 'stockin advance of said cylinder and operating under the control of said governor, to open and close the feed throat, according to whether said cylinder has or has not proper working velocity.

9; The combination with the thrashing mechanism proper of a belt driven' feed'mechanism for the same and a pair of belt tightening devices, one operated by said thrashing mechanism proper, for rendering said"feed driven belt operative or inoperative-according to whether the thrashing mechanism'has orv has not proper working velocity, andthe other ofwhioh is operative to set the belt with the proper slack, substantially as described.

10. The combination with thrashing mechanism, of a belt driven feed mechanism for the same, a governor driven from said thrashing mechanism, and a belt tightener operated by said governor and applied to said feed driving belt, for rendering the said belt operative or inoperative, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

11. The combination with thrashing mechanism, of a belt driven feed mechanism, a governor driven from said thrashing mechanism, and a pair of belt tightening devices applicable to said belt one securable by hand to set the belt with proper slack and the other controlled by said governer, for rendering the belt operative or inoperative according to whether the thrashing mechanism has or has not proper working velocity, substantially as described.

12. The combination with thrashing mechanism, of automatic feed mechanism for the same, a positive cut off device, in advance of the thrashing mechanism, and a governor driven from said thrashing mechanism and controlling both the said out off device and said feed mechanism, substantially as described.

13; The combination with thrashing mechanism, of a belt driven feed mechanism for the same, a positive cut oil device in advance of the thrashing mechanism, a belt controller applicable to said feed driving belt and a governor driven from said thrashing mechanism and operating said out off device and said beltcontroller,substantiallyasdescribed.

14. The combination with the band cutter and feeder frame, extending forward of the thrashing machine feed throat, of a bundle table comprising a sectional folding carrier frame, the lower section of which folds over the upper section and the upper section of which is pivoted to said feeder frame forward of its delivery end and folds under said frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

15. The combination with the cutter and feeder frame, of the bundle table comprising the sectional folding carrier frame pi voted forward of its delivery end, to said feeder frame, to fold under the same, and having an upper end carrier gear en gageable and disengageable with a driving gear on said frame, by the pivotal movement of said carrier frame, substantially as described.

16. The combination with the cutterand feeder frame ct of the feed carrier f, the

feed-carrier shaft f, having the gearf the intermediate gear f, the bundle carrier frame h5 h, pivoted to said feed frame at h and the bundle carrier driving shaft h, having the gear h engageable with the gear f, substantially as described.

17. The combination with thrashing mechanism, of a positive cut-off device in advance of the same, for positively intercepting the stock, a governor driven from said thrashing mechanism and controlling said cut-off device, and an adjustable lever, for communieating the motion from said governor to said cut-off device, whereby the speed of the cutoff may be varied for any given motion of the governor, substantially as described.

18. The combination with the thrashing cylinder and concave, of the ball governor G, the overhanging vertically movable comb 7c, the underlying pivoted comb 7c, the pivoted lever k connected at one end to the governor stem and at the other to said comb 7c, the crank-arm on the lower comb 7c and the links k connecting said cranks 70 with the upper comb 70, substantially as described.

19. The combination with the thrashing cylinder and concave, of the governor driven therefrom, the cutting-off combs 7t It, the central pivoted lever 70 connecting the lever with the upper comb 7c, the outside lever it operated by .the upper comb k, the link k connecting the upper comb with the crankarms 70 on the lower comb 7ti',i1l16 fGGClGldllV- ing belt of, the belt tightener n 12. and the link n connecting said tightener with the lever 72, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

20. The combination with a thrashing cylinder, of a yielding concave hanger under spring tension to resist the pressure for normal work, and yielding to relieve excessive pressure, said concave being mounted for yielding motion on a line tending toward the travel of the stock and receding from the cylinder, substantially as described.

21. The combination with a thrashing cylinder, of a slidingconcave hanger under spring tension restrained to substantially straight line sliding movement at its rear end and to movement at its forward end,in the arc of a circle of larger radius than the curvature of the concave, substantially as described.

22. The combination with thrashing mechanism, of a pair of endless feed carriers running face to face,the upper member of which carrier terminates short of the cylinder hoodat its lower end, and is supported with clearance above the same, for permitting the said upper carrier to throw back to the front any excess of stock which may accumulate in the feed throat, substantially as described.

23. The combination with thrashing mechanism, of a pair of endless feed carriers, running face to face, the upper memberof which 1 carrier terminates short of the cylinder hood,

at its lower end, and is supported with clearance above the same, and a combined band cutting and clearing cylinder overhanging the lower feed carrier, forward of the upper carrier, in position to receive any stock which may be returned by said upper carrier and to continue the return movement of the stock, substantially as described.

24. The combination with a thrashing mechanism, of an automatic feed throat opening and closing device, directly in advance of and controlled by said thrashing mechanism, and a pair of endless feed carriers running face to face, the upper member of which carriers terminates short of the cylinder hood at its lower end, for permitting the said upper carrier to throwback to the front any stock which would otherwise accumulate when the feed throat is closed, substantially as described.

25. The combination withathrashing mechanism, of an automatic feed throat opening and closing device, directly in advance of and controlled by said thrashing mechanism, and a pair of endless feed carriers running face to face, the upper member of which carriers terminates short of the cylinder hood at its lower end, for permitting the said upper carrier to throw back to the front any stock whiehwould otherwise accumulate when the feed throat was closed, and a combined band 20 cutting and clearing cylinder overhanging the lower carrier forward of the upper carrier, substantially as described.

26. The combination with the'thrashing cylinder and concave, of the the feed throat opening and closing device, the angular continuous deck f traversed by the lower feed carrier f the double deck carrier frame 7 traversed by the upper feed carrier 1', pivoted at its upper end and free foralimited rising and falling motion at its lower end, and the rotary band cutting cylinder d with clearing teeth d; the said parts operating substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES N. WILSON.

Witnesses:

THOS. A. WHITWORTH, J AS. F. WILLIAMSON. 

